As snow-topped mountains and frozen streams gave way to red canyons and flowing brooks on the train from Colorado to Utah, I knew Salt Lake City must be close.
In January 2025, I traveled from my home in New York City to the American Southwest, where I spent three days in Salt Lake City for the first time, as well as the nearby towns of Park City and Draper.
The city and its surrounding areas are renowned for their high-end ski scene, thriving tech hub, and wealthy residents.
I expected to find luxury hotels and homes, active slopes, and tech offices with startup vibes.
I found all that — but there were nine aspects of my trip I didn’t see coming.
I traveled by train from Denver to Salt Lake City and was completely in awe of the views.
My trip began with a flight from my home in NYC to Denver, where I boarded a 15-hour Amtrak train to Salt Lake City.
It wasn’t my first overnight Amtrak train ride. In 2021, I took a 30-hour ride from NYC to Miami, and another 30-hour ride home. The biggest difference between these rides was the views.
In 2021, I had decent views of the East Coast, from towns to shorelines. But the sights between Colorado and Utah were on another level. I rode through Rocky Mountain National Park and watched the snow-capped forest landscape give way to red rocks and canyons as the train made its way to my destination.
This was my first time on a train with an observation car.
While I rode to Miami on a one-story Amtrak Viewliner train, my Amtrak trip to Salt Lake City was on the California Zephyr, a double-decker Superliner train.
On board, I was surprised and excited to find a communal car on the top floor designated for sightseeing since the Viewliner didn’t have one. The car had two rows of windows and an array of seating options, such as booths and swivel chairs.
While booking my trip, I was surprised to find that Salt Lake City didn’t have many five-star hotels.
Most major cities I visit have an array of luxury accommodations, so when booking my trip to Salt Lake City, I was shocked to find only a couple of five-star hotels.
I selected the Grand America Hotel — the city’s first five-star hotel, built in 2001 to serve the 2002 Olympics.
The hotel has been known for hosting A-listers since it opened. While hotel representatives declined to reveal any celebrity guest names, one told Business Insider that Grand America had hosted visiting NBA teams.
The Grand America Hotel was also listed in the top 40 hotels in the world in CN Traveler’s 2024 Reader’s Choice Awards.
I couldn’t believe how luxurious my room was for $340 a night.
I spent one night in an executive suite with a king-size bed. The room has a base rate of $340, though Business Insider received a media rate for the one-night stay.
The hotel was as lavish as many I’ve booked in the $500-$1,000-a-night range. My room was 880 square feet, with a living room, a bedroom, and a Juliet balcony. The suite felt extra luxurious with a spacious marble bathroom and thick, cozy satin-lined robes hanging in the walk-in closet.
After a night in Salt Lake City, I headed to Draper, a nearby suburb I didn’t realize was a thriving tech hub.
Salt Lake City is the metropolis of the Silicon Slopes, a region of Utah known for business and tech that also includes Park City and surrounding suburbs such as Draper and Provo.
I expected most of the tech scene to be in the big city. But I found that the nearby suburb of Draper had created a booming tech community. I visited a large building that served as offices and a coworking space for several companies, giving techies the chance to network daily.
I was surprised by all the fun activities inside tech offices.
I got private tours of two companies inside the building — Bamboo HR and Pluralsight (Pluralsight moved its headquarters to Texas in August 2025). The offices were modern and sleek, with intentional color palettes and cozy seats, as I’d expect from any tech office.
Work aside, these spaces had activities for breaks that would make it hard for me to get back to my tasks — pickleball, rentable bikes for trail riding accessible from the property, and, most surprisingly to me, an indoor golf simulator.
That afternoon, I headed from Draper to Park City, where I wasn’t expecting to find luxury housing visible from downtown.
In most wealthy towns I visit, luxury housing is spread out on the outskirts, away from the public eye.
I found that was the case for most of Park City, too.
In the downtown area, however, I spotted many modern and high-end homes layered among older houses on hilltops overlooking the streets. I was surprised and delighted by the idea of living in a luxury mansion in a walkable neighborhood.
In the same area, I was shocked when a skier was lifted a few feet above my head.
I knew Park City was known for skiing, but I didn’t expect to see an active ski lift nearly at arm’s length while strolling through the downtown area.
It made sense when I learned that this part of Park City sits between two major ski hubs — Park City Mountain Resort and Deer Valley Resort.
Park City had public amenities I don’t often see in New York, such as bathrooms and electric firepits in courtyards.
New York City has public bathrooms, but in my experience, finding one often becomes an unwanted adventure.
So, I didn’t expect to see a vibrant sign pointing to one in downtown Park City. I didn’t go inside, but all the public restrooms in Park City that I saw on Google Maps had five-star ratings.
I also found warm electric firepits surrounded by benches in courtyards between stores and restaurants.
The surprising parts of my trip left me with a fuller picture of Salt Lake City and its surrounding areas. Now I want to go back.
From Salt Lake City’s affordable luxury stays to the unexpected amenities in nearby Park City, these unanticipated delights made me certain I’ll return to the Silicon Slopes.
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